From staff reports
A traveling exhibition that tells the story of South Carolina’s essential role in the American Civil Rights Movement will be on display through September at Darrah Hall of the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, within the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District, 24 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island, S.C. 29920.
Organized by the University of South Carolina’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research, the “Justice for All” exhibition uses oral history recordings, news film footage, photographs, postcards, newspapers and letters to highlight overlooked chapters in the history of the movement.
“South Carolina’s Lowcountry region played a critical role in the nation’s Civil Rights Movement,” said Bobby Donaldson, Professor of History and Executive Director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research. “We are delighted to work closely with the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, the Penn Center, and other community partners in shedding much-needed light on the individuals, organizations, and key events that shaped one of the most transformative movements in our nation’s history.”
The exhibition is open from 9 a.m to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday during park hours.
Visitors will see interpretive panels that tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement, beginning in Reconstruction following the Civil War and continuing through the 1960s. Also on display will be photographs, letters and other materials from the movement in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, items from collections housed in USC’s University Libraries, Moving Image Research Collections, South Carolina Political Collections, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, and the South Caroliniana Library.
“Students and visitors to the exhibition will learn about activists and institutions who struggled for and demanded racial justice in South Carolina and across the country,” Donaldson said. “The materials cover a broad time span, from Reconstruction through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and will allow visitors to see firsthand the struggles of those who pushed for equal rights and the efforts of those who worked to curtail them.”
“We’re excited to partner with USC’s Center for Civil Rights History on Research and to be able to host this exhibit in such a historic space,” said Nathan Betcher, Supervisory Historian of the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. “The themes of equality that we talk about at the park are timeless, and ideals during Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement is inspiring, and I hope it brings a greater appreciation of those people who have worked so hard to make our nation a more perfect union. We hope that visitors will be inspired to explore these stories further across the Penn Center and the community.”
The Center will host several public events in coordination with the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, including a book signing and public programs.
On Saturday, July 15, from noon until 4 p.m., there will be an opening drop-in and guided tours of the exhibit at 24 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island to celebrate the opening of the exhibit in Beaufort. There will be light refreshments, and Center staff will be on hand to provide tours and answer questions.
The “Justice for All” traveling exhibition was designed with groups and students in mind. Traveling trunks with materials and lesson plans for students are available by request. For information about traveling trunks or our other initiatives such as oral history interviews, please email the Center at sccivilrights@sc.edu.
“Justice for All” has visited Columbia, Sumter, Orangeburg, Hartsville, and Spartanburg. After Beaufort, the traveling exhibition will visit Georgetown through December 2023. The traveling exhibition is based on the 2019 archival exhibition “Justice for All” that the Center created collaboratively with South Carolina Humanities, University of South Carolina Libraries and the College of Arts and Sciences. The traveling version is supported with funding from the Williams Companies as part of a $1.5 million gift, and by South Carolina Humanities and Central Carolina Community Foundation.
